When you consider what you should eat, we don’t often think about how it affects our skin. Many people are aware of what not to eat – things like chocolate, milk, and sugar – which can result in an overproduction of oils in our skin’s pores, but we don’t often hear about what we should eat for healthy skin.
Many of these foods listed below do well as topical applications so you can create face masks, pastes, and creams on the side while you are cooking dinner. Consider the extra beauty treatment a “dessert” that will help your skin get stronger faster.
Place the mask or paste on your face and be sure to not forget the neck area. This is an area that is often neglected but once you lose the tight skin there, you will soon regret it. It isn’t impossible to get back that youthful snappy skin, you can try some of the top overall neck products to help, but you will have to have a disciplined regime of healthy eating, moisturizing, and exercise to get success.
Here are the top 10 foods for healthy skin.
- Almonds
Almonds have just the right kinds of fat to give our skin the perfect dewy look. Crush them in a food processor and sprinkle them on salads and in smoothies. They are also the perfect snack to have on hand in the car.
- Lemon juice
Lemon juice is an anti-bacterial wonder. Spritz some lemon juice on salads or fish to get a good dose of cleansing elements. Or have a glass of iced lemon juice with a little agave before bedtime.
- Avocado
The fats in avocado helps our skin feel replenished and perky. You can use avocado on a spread for sandwiches, puree it for a dressing, or use it sliced on top of fish and chicken.
- Walnuts
Walnuts have a lot of Omega-3 which strengthens the membranes of our skin cells. Add them to breakfast oatmeal and salads. Toss a few in a casserole for some crunch or keep them in your purse for hunger emergencies.
- Amaranth
This whole grain has the antioxidant Vitamin E to fight free radicals. Use amaranth in your breakfast hot cereal, or use it as a replacement for white rice.
- Chia seeds and butter
Chia seeds also have a healthy dose of Omega-3 fats which keep our skin cells hydrated and may have an anti-inflammatory effect. Chia seeds should not be eaten whole as your body will not full digest the seed. You need to process them first by either chewing them really well or using a food processor or blender.
- Prickly pear
Prickly pears have tocopherol, a form of vitamin E, and can also help to lessen the appearance of large pores.
- Acai berry juice
This juice has anthocyanins which are powerful antioxidants to fight free radicals. Those are the bad guys who are always out to do damage to our skin. Acai juices are available in the produce section of your grocery store. Be sure to select one that doesn’t have added sugars.
- Kale
It is the superfood for all of your organs, including your body’s largest organ, your skin. Use kale in savory soups, sauté it with garlic and onions, or eat it finely chopped in salads.
- Pumpkin
This one may be a surprise but pumpkin has collagen boosting effects of zinc to keep our skin cells plump. You don’t have to save pumpkin for Thanksgiving or the fall. Have a scoop of pumpkin with nutmeg and cinnamon over a scoop of vanilla yogurt for a healthy dessert treat.
